Obsession
by crookshanks99
Summary: SORRY IT’S BEEN SO LONG D; A HG/LM romance for you – tragedy in later chapters. Rated M for later chapters just in case. Better safe than sorry ; R&R No flames, CC only. AU for a reason guys! Have fun & let me know what you think!
1. You Make It Real

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on a YouTube video series by one of my favourite vidders **xxtingxx**. Look her up; she's really is brilliant. I own nothing; the storyline belongs to xxtingxx, I just filled it out to make it into a story. All characters belong to JK Rowling, 'Vicky' belongs to xxtingxx. Enjoy!

Hermione Granger is sixteen years old and in her sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She is a very intelligent muggleborn witch, always achieving top marks in her subjects. She has long, bushy brown hair, a fair pretty face and large brown eyes that caught the attention of many. She has a radiant smile that lit up the very room with perfect white teeth; admittedly with a little help from Madam Pomfrey when she was just fourteen.

She was currently sitting on her bed, bleary eyed and her hair a tangled mass. She yawned widely, rubbed her eyes and made her way to her dressing table. Sitting down, she attempted to calm the mass of hair with a brush, wincing a little at the knots. She hummed a random tune to herself, feeling rather bright that particular morning, as she placed her hairbrush back where it belonged. As she leant forward to put it down, a sheet of parchment caught her eye and her contagious smile spread across her lips.; this very parchment was indeed the same parchment she had been reading and re-reading for the past week...

_Dearest Hermione,_

I have, so to speak, a confession to make to you. As bizarre as this may sound, I feel I must tell you this, for I simply cannot rest if I don't. I have been most troubled; since the day I met you in Flourish and Blotts, I have found it most difficult to erase you from my mind. Of course at that time, I pushed this thought aside; you were just a child, and a... well, not of my particular heritage. But I can't hold this to myself any longer; Hermione Granger, I love you. I love you more than life itself and Merlin knows I hope and pray you feel the same.

Forever yours,  
Lucius

At first, Hermione was utterly flabbergasted; the man who had vehemently loathed her and anyone of her muggleborn heritage, but that she carried a secret burning desire for, had just professed his love to her. It seemed absolutely absurd, and she did wonder momentarily if it were some kind of cruel trick being played upon her. However, Hermione knew that that option was impossible, and she responded to him right away, returning his love. Ever since that day, her stomach had been burning with anxiety, awaiting his reply.

Lucius Malfoy was a pureblood wizard who worked high up in the Ministry of Magic. He was tall, well built and quite handsome, with long, white blonde hair, sharp features and piercing grey eyes that captured the hearts of many women. His unique looks, along with his flowing black robes gave him an air of mystery; often turning heads wherever he were to go. Of course he enjoyed this attention, but his heart belonged to just one person, and he felt it always would.

At this precise moment, Lucius was sitting on the edge of his bed, his hair as neat and carefully tended to as it always was, One hand curled into a fist around a piece of parchment and one hand covering a yawn. He raised himself and looked into mirror, rubbing his eyes roughly. Pulling open the door of his walk-in wardrobe and almost immediately spied a fresh set of robes; black, of course, as many of them were. Closing the door and noting his appearance in the mirror, he smiled to himself proudly before sitting himself down again and re-read the parchment he had been holding onto tightly, worried he may lose it, or it be found by his son, Draco.

_Lucius,_

I am shock to learn this from you, for I feel much the same, and I'm quite elated at our feelings for one another; I feel sure that fate has brought us together. Heavens above, I was always under the impression that you despised me but now, I know different. We must devise a plan to break the news to everyone, for we cannot keep our feelings a secret any longer. I'm sure we shall find a way.

All my love,

_Hermione_

Lucius still found it hard to believe his luck even now, after the way he had treated this wonderful girl, she still bore love for him. It was almost too good to be true. "Vicky!" He called out to his maid. "_Vicky!_" He called out again after receiving no answer. "Coming Mr Malfoy, sir!" Came a loud, cockney accent from another room. There was a knock on the door a few moments later and then entered Vicky. "Good morning Vicky, I trust you slept well?" Lucius asked her. "As well as any, sir." She replied to him. "Good news, however, I have a task I wish for you to carry out. I need you to deliver a note to one, Miss Hermione Granger." His voice softened slightly at her name. "I believe she currently resides at a place called The Burrow; home of the Weasley family." He passed the note to her. "Do ensure she receives it as soon as possible." He turned his back, Vicky's cue to leave. "Good day, Mr Malfoy." Vicky turned to leave. "I sincerely hope it is," Lucius replied.

Hermione made her way downstairs for breakfast. She was greeted by the delicious smell of Mrs Weasley's cooking. "Morning Mrs Weasley," she smiled. "Morning dear, breakfast won't be long now. Did you sleep well?" Mrs Weasley enquired. "Very well, thank you." Hermione seated herself at the table just as Mrs Weasley set down her breakfast. "I don't suppose there's been any post for me at all?" She asked as she chewed on her toast. "No dear, there hasn't been any this morning. Were you expecting some?" Hermione waved her hand, signalling that it was no big deal. Mrs Weasley finally settled in a chair and fanned herself, worn out from working hard all morning. "You know Mrs Weasley, you work too hard. You never take time out for yourself." Mrs Weasley merely smiled modestly. "That's very sweet of you dear." She said to her. "I'm serious," replied Hermione. "Why, just last week Harry and Ron locked away my books and practically frog marched me out with them." She laughed a little at the memory. "I was ever so grate-" She stopped suddenly at the sound of the door knocking. "I'll get it... I wonder who it could be."

Opening the door she was met by a stout woman wearing an apron, a dusting cloth tucked into the pocket of her trousers. "Good morning, may I help?" The woman nodded. "Yeah, as a matter of fact you can dear, I take it you would be Miss Hermione Granger?" She asked, none too shyly. "I would be, and you are... ?" Hermione cocked an eyebrow and smiled widely; though she had never had the pleasure of meeting this woman before now, there was something so delightfully likeable about her and her heavy cockney accent. "Yep, you're definitely her," said the woman, giving Hermione a long, searching look. "Anyway, my name's Vicky; I'm Lucius Malfoy's maid. He sent me here to give you this-" She passed Hermione a rolled up sheet of parchment. "He's one lucky bloke; you really are as beautiful as he said, repeatedly..." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I must be off, he'll be wanting those windows washed today, always my favourite job." She rolled her eyes again before Disapparating.

_Hermione, my love_

There is a Hogwarts reunion ball being held at the school itself seven days from now. Would do me the pleasure and the honour of accompanying me? Apart from desiring the company of only you, it would also be the perfect opportunity to come out of hiding and reveal ourselves to all.

With love, always

Lucius

Hermione beamed brightly, and practically bounced back into the house, through the kitchen and up the stairs, failing to notice Harry and Ron being force fed their second helping of bacon and eggs. The boys looked at each blankly. "So come on then Harry, who do you reckon the lucky bloke was?" He grinned. "I dunno mate, but I'd love the kind of mood _he's _in!" The both roared with laughter and Mrs Weasley rolled her eyes and flicked her wand at the empty plates.

Meanwhile, Hermione was laying on her front across her bed writing her reply to Lucius. She was very excited and frequently made mistakes, therefore she was surrounded with little balled up bits of parchment. Finally, when she had managed to write it out neatly, it read like this:

_Dearest Lucius,_

I would be delighted to attend the ball with you, I wouldn't desire anybody else's company but yours, for no other company could bring me that pleasure. You are right, I could not have thought of a better plan myself. I'm sure that we shall make it a night to remember.

Love always,

Hermione

She folded up the latter and magically sealed it, decided to ask Harry if she could borrow Hedwig to deliver it. Going over to the top of the stairs, she called down, "Harry! Do you mind if I borrow Hedwig to deliver a letter?" she waited for a moment before hearing, "No problem, Mione!" With that, Hermione enticed Hedwig down from Ron's wardrobe and attached the letter to her, setting her off on the journey through the window. Hermione watched her fly until, finally, the little black speck in the sky disappeared.


	2. Love Is Noise

_DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. xxtingxx owns most. JK Rowling's character's. Blah blah blah etc. ^_^ Enjoy!_

Seven days later found Hermione locked in her bedroom getting ready for the approaching ball. The plan, initiated by Hermione herself, was that Harry, Ginny, Ron and Luna were to meet her there; they did wonder why Hermione would come up with such an odd plan, but they said nothing of it. Hermione however, knew it was best to be alone when she met Lucius, rather than appear with her friends and risk the drama that was sure to kick off. She shuddered at this thought; she knew it was going to be undeniably difficult to come clean to everyone. Pulling her hair out of the towel, she set about getting herself ready and pushing her current thoughts out of her mind; she wanted to enjoy this night as best as she could...

Hermione hopped onto one of the Hogwarts carriages, careful not to tear her beautiful pink dress that she had chosen especially for tonight. Even from where she sat, she could hear loud music and a faint murmur of chattering; a mixture of nerves and excitement engulfed her as the carriage drew up to the main doors of Hogwarts and she took a deep breath. She placed a shaking hand on the main doors and entered the Great Hall; what she saw before her rendered her temporarily paralyzed with amazement. Upon entering the hall, she saw it was lavishly decorated, with white and silver material hanging artistically along the walls and a huge banner at the front of the room with the Hogwarts emblem printed on it; there were white doves flying around the heads of guests and every now and then, a sudden burst of confetti would erupt somewhere in the room. Hermione gazed around in wonder, the made her way to the dance floor when she spotted a flash of red hair that was Ginny.

As she weaved her way between the dancing crowd, she felt a hand close on her wrist. "Wha - oh!" She breathed a sigh of relief, realising who it was. "Hi," she said a little breathlessly. "And how might you be, my love?" Lucius asked her with a suave smile. "I'm just wonderful now," she replied, smiling. "Glad to hear it," Lucius bowed to her and kissed her hand gently; Hermione gave a small curtsy in return. "Shall we?" He offered her his arm and together they made their way to the centre of the crowded dance floor. They waltzed their way around the room, receiving but ignoring the stares from others nearby.

As they passed Harry and Ron's table, Hermione chanced a glance over at them and saw Harry was engrossed in conversation with Ginny and Luna, whereas Ron, on the other hand, looked crossed between repulsed and positively furious. Hermione looked away from him quickly; avoiding making eye contact with him and wishing she hadn't seen him. Something must have shown on her face because Lucius frowned slightly and said to her, "Is something troubling you?" Hermione forced a smile back on her face. "It's nothing." She reassured him. He accepted her answer and, as the song ended, he pulled her closer to him. Her heart began to race frantically and she felt out of breath all of a sudden. "I love you, Hermione." There was something about the use of her first name that sparked something inside of her; it was something so small, and yet so deep and personal hearing from his very lips at such an intensely romantic moment. They simultaneously leaned in towards each other; the moment their lips met, Hermione felt an indescribable rush; the power of it seemed to cease all sound and in those few moments, maybe hours, it could easily have been years, it was just her and Lucius. Hermione could practically hear the electricity between them crackling and, as Lucius held her body tightly against his, felt sure he could feel it too.

As they both pulled away, Hermione smiled up at Lucius as he gently ran his fingers down her face. She subconsciously glanced over his shoulder to see Ron storming from the Great Hall, closely followed by Harry, who seemed to be trying to calm him down. "Oh no..." Hermione whispered, her expression terrified. Lucius looked concerned as he realised what had happened.

"What happens now?" Asked Lucius, who was concerned only for the welfare of Hermione. She turned to him, her eyes brimming with tears. "I have to sort this out," she told him. "Alone." He said after he made to follow her. "I'll write to you and let you know what happens. Whatever happens, I _love_ you." And with one final kiss, she rushed out of the hall to find Harry and Ron, and attempt to fix this horrible mess between them all.

"Ron? _Ron!_" She called out to him; he turned to her, his face unrecognisable, contorted with rage and disgust. "What?" He spat. Hermione faltered; what could possibly be said when faced by your best friend looking at you with such hatred filled eyes? "Why are you being like this?" She asked, her voice shaking. "Hmm, let's think." He said mockingly. "You're with _him! _The scumbag that-" Hermione cut across him. "Don't call him that!" There tears spilled from her eyes before she could stop them. "Why not? It's true!" He bellowed at her, his face beginning to turn purple. "No, it's not! He's different, he's changed! He _loves _me." She cried. "SO DO I!" They were mere inches from each others faces when a voice from nearby shouted, "_Protego!_" Hermione and Ron were forced back from each other, and before Hermione could ask who had done it, Ron stormed off with Harry following.

Hermione slumped to the bottom of the stairs and sobbed to herself. The most magical night of her life – ruined. She had been waiting for so long and wanted it to be so perfect. She knew Ron wouldn't take it well at all, but she didn't expect _this_. Hermione gathered herself and wiped her face before leaving for the Burrow; preparing herself for one heck of a lot of interrogating from Ginny that was sure to come.

*

Lying on her front across her bed, Hermione sobbed to herself, ignoring the loud knocking on the door that had been continuing for the past ten minutes; Hermione knew that it had to be Ginny, and possibly Luna. "Go away!" She called out thickly, sounding rather like she had a bad head cold. "Hermione, you forgetting whose room you're in?" Ginny cocked an eyebrow. Frowning, unwilling to admit defeat, Hermione flicked her wand at the door, causing it to fly open. Ginny and Luna immediately rushed in and put their arms around Hermione. "He surely hates me now!" Hermione cried as she was comforted by her two best friends. "What happened exactly?" Asked Ginny. "One minute me and Luna were talking to Harry, and the next, he's chasing after Ron." Hermione wiped her eyes and braced herself.

"I went to the ball with Lucius Malfoy." She muttered, avoiding eye contact with either of the girls. "_What?_" Exclaimed Ginny, looking utterly flabbergasted. "Oh, that's lovely..." Replied Luna, looking rather vague. Ginny shook her head in disbelief. "Hermione, what on _earth _were you thinking? Have you completely lost your mind? Lucius Malfoy, of all the people! He hates muggleborns Hermione, and he's a _Death Eater!_" Hermione frowned. "Ginny! He's not like that anymore! He's different; can he really hate muggleborns if he asked me to the ball? Or _kissed _me?" She folded her arms and looked away defiantly. "I'm sorry Ginny, but you're my best friend. You should be happy for me, if I'm happy, regardless of your feelings towards Lucius. I know he's done some terrible, unforgiveable things in the past, I know that. But he really has changed Ginny; he loves me."

Ginny sighed. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I'm just so shocked, after everything. I mean, can you blame me?" Hermione wiped her face and propped herself up on her elbows. "No, I suppose not... where are Ron and Harry now?" Ginny and Luna exchanged looks. "Ronald is in his bedroom with Harry." Replied Luna. Ginny looked back at Hermione. "Look, it's been a rough night, we all need some sleep." Luna gave Hermione and Ginny a hug, then drifted over to her bed. "Don't worry Hermione, things will get better eventually." They all changed into their night clothes and crawled into bed. "Try to get some sleep, Hermione." Said Ginny, hugging her before laying down next to her. Hermione smiled, then laid down and closed her eyes. She laid in silence, listening to the soft, out of sync breathing that was Ginny and Luna.


	3. Self Inflicted

_Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own anything. JK Rowling and xxtingxx do that. ;)  
A/N: I know it's pretty short, so I apologise for that. Hopefully you'll enjoy it anyways!_

Hermione sat up in her bed and looked over at Ginny and Luna, smiling to herself. She felt so lucky to have Ginny and Luna supporting her; although she adored Harry, and Ron before he got mad at her, she was very grateful for the female companionship and the bond that they shared with one another. Suddenly, Hermione jumped out of bed, causing Ginny to mumble something incoherent in her sleep – Hermione had completely forgotten to write to Lucius the previous night. Picking up the nearest quill and a sheet of parchment, she scrawled a quick letter to inform him what had happen up til present, urging him not feel any guilt and assuring him that she still loved him, no matter what. By the time she had finished and sent the letter away with Hedwig, Ginny and Luna had woken.

Once they were all changed, they made their way downstairs to be greeted by Mrs Weasley bustling around making breakfast for them all. Hermione stared at the mass of food and rightly assumed that some of it was for Harry and Ron when they eventually woke. Mrs Weasley set plates down in front of them and in less than half an hour, they had cleared their plates. They all raised themselves from their seats and left the house; all of them planning to visit Diagon Alley to do some shopping.

"Listen Ron, I know it's wrong, I completely agree, but you can't ignore her forever. You live in the same house." Harry had been trying to reason with Ron for at least half an hour, but to no avail. Ron simply looked at him, "I love her Harry, but it's disgusting, repulsive what they're doing. I won't have anything to do with her as long as she's with _him!_" Harry sighed and patted Ron on the shoulder, torn between his best friends at war. There was only one thing he could think of that would either make or break Ron and Hermione's friendship forever...

"Mr Weasley, could I have a word please?" Asked Harry once he reached the living room. "Of course Harry, is everything ok?" Replied Mr Weasley, his expression one of concern. Harry took a deep breath and said, "With me yes, but not with Ron and Hermione." Mr Weasley frowned; he had of course, noticed the tension between the two. "The thing is Mr Weasley, Hermione's in a relationship... with Lucius Malfoy. She went to the ball with him, that's why she went there alone, and they kissed. Ron saw everything and they argued; they haven't spoken a word to each other since." Mr Weasley simply stared at Harry, his jaw dropped in shock. "Y-you're sure?" He asked shakily. "Positive. Hermione's in Diagon Alley with Ginny and Luna now, it wouldn't surprise me if she was meeting him there." Harry replied with all seriousness. "Follow me Harry; I dread to think how Molly react if she found out about this." And with that, they left for Diagon Alley.

"There they are!" Cried out Mr Weasley upon seeing Hermione talking with Lucius, Ginny and Luna standing a little apart from them. Mr Weasley sprinted over to them, Harry at his heels and pulled Hermione away by her arm; she looked positively outraged. "Mr W-" She began. "Quiet Hermione!" Mr Weasley turned to face Lucius, his face etched with hatred and repulsion, the latter looking dangerously intimidating. "I don't know what your game is Malfoy, manipulating and seducing a barely of age girl!" Hermione's mouth fell open in shock as angry tears filled her eyes. Harry made to comfort her but she threw him off, daggers in her eyes. Lucius' eyes narrowed and he replied in a low and deadly tone. "I _love_ Hermione for reasons which you can scarcely even begin to understand. Our love is deeper than any physical attraction." He turned to Hermione. "I'll be in touch, come what may." They looked at each other longingly for a moment. "Stay away from her, Malfoy. If you know what's good for you." Mr Weasley turned to leave, dragging Hermione with him.


	4. The Promise

_Disclaimer; I still don't own a thing. JK Rowling – characters. Check out xxtingxx on YouTube for her amazing Lucius/Hermione series. GIVE ME YOUR REVIEWS on what you think so far! Constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms._

A/N; Again, another short chapter – this will improve, I promise. ;)

The morning of September the first was an awkward affair; the tension between Ron and Hermione had resulted in them all splitting into two groups. Mrs Weasley would be taking Ginny and Hermione to platform nine and three quarters via Apparation, whereas Mr Weasley would be taking Harry and Ron in a Ministry car.

They all bid each other goodbye but Ron flatly ignored Hermione's tentative smile and slammed the car door shut behind him. Mrs Weasley squeezed Hermione's shoulder lightly upon seeing her downcast look, and took hold of both Ginny and Hermione's hands, turning on the spot. Once again, Hermione felt the tightness in her chest, the feeling of near suffocation and slight unnecessary panic, before she was free and Mrs Weasley was steadying her at platform nine and three quarters. "Now," said Mrs Weasley, pulling out sandwiches for both Hermione and Ginny. "Behave yourselves, won't you? Especially you Ginny; next time Fred and George assure you it's a good idea to plant chocolate frogs in someone's desk, _ignore them._" Mrs Weasley pulled them both into tight hugs and they both hopped onto the train and shut the doors behind them.

Hermione awoke the morning before the Christmas holiday break from a sleep filled with dreams of being surrounded by loud music on a packed dance floor, the feeling of being trampled to death engulfing her. She stretched lightly and climbed out of bed. Picking up her wand, she fixed up her hair and pulled on her uniform, mentally preparing herself for a long day of lessons alone – for although Harry remained a mutual friend with both Ron and herself, he tended to spend more time with Ron. This resulted in Hermione feeling rather lonely at times, and missing Lucius with every painful beat of her heart; however, she kept her head down and concentrated on her studies, making the day a tiny bit more bearable.

As expected, that particular day was no different from the rest; the same old routine, everything seeming dull and monotonous and meaningless – breakfast, classes, lunch then more classes, her last one being Defence Against the Dark Arts. She was thankful for this at least; this class being the most practical of her classes gave her something to really concentrate on. She found that her mind was too occupied to dwell too much on Lucius as it required all of her concentration and skill almost constantly.

Sitting herself in her usual desk – ironically in the far corner of the back row – and took out the appropriate books and her wand. They started off with a lecture , then took notes and finally began the practical work, for which they had to pair up. Hermione looked around blankly at everyone immediately raising and pairing up; she felt rather like a small muggle child being chosen last for the school sports team. She bit her lip anxiously; the teacher noticed and looked over at her sympathetically. "Who are you partnering with, Miss Granger?" Just as Hermione opened her mouth to answer, a voice came from the doorway. "I am." It said in a smooth, confident voice.

Hermione jaw dropped open and a gasp issued from every mouth in the room. "Lucius!" Cried out Hermione in shock. He smiled and held out his hand to her, ignoring the stares he received. She walked over to him and gently took hold of his hand; he pulled her close and gazed into her eyes. "I love you so much Lucius... I can't stand to be without you any longer." She whispered. "Come away with me," he replied. "Tonight. Now." Hermione bit her lip, glancing to the class behind her. She released Lucius' hand and looked down at her feet. Raising her eyes to Lucius, she saw his confused expression; she grinned then said, "Marry me, Lucius." He looked down at her, unsure of what he heard. He could not believe his ears. A huge smile crept upon his lips and he took hold of her hand and together they ran as fast as they could out of the castle, leaving behind a flabbergasted Harry and Ron.


	5. Crashed The Wedding

_Disclaimer; I own absolutely everything... only, not really. READ & REVIEW. I'm always looking to improve my writing, but I can't if you don't give me constructive criticism and compliments. ;)_

It was Christmas Eve and Hermione was standing at the alter awaiting the arrival of her beloved husband to be, Lucius Malfoy. She wore a simple, full length, strapless ivory gown with a red waistband and heels. Her hair was beautifully curled, reaching the middle of her back; she wore a dazzling diamond encrusted tiara and a white veil. Following the old muggle tradition of 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue', she also had a silver locket that had been passed down from her great grandmother, a brand new pair of silver hooped earrings, a borrowed silver ankle chain, courtesy of Luna and, not wishing to ruin the colour scheme of her outfit, she had painted her hidden toe nails blue.

The large hall in which she stood was decorated to give the impression that they were outside. Underneath her feet was snow covered grass; tiny flecks of green just visible underneath the glittering white blanket, the grass was separated by a long, winding path that remained clear despite the gentle snow that was falling without causing a chill. The path led up to a huge white marquee, and if Hermione looked up at the ceiling, her gaze would be met by a clear sky with the beautiful winter sun shining down on her. Inside the marquee, which was decorated beautifully with white and silver decor, was a long red strip of carpet leading up the a lovely alter at which stood the vicar; a short man with wispy white hair and a lot of wrinkles.

Hermione turned as music began to play, thanks to the orchestra that sat by the entrance to the marquee. Her bright smile lit up her face as she saw Lucius walking along the pathway towards the love of his life. He looked extraordinarily handsome with his long white blonde hair tied back with a black band and wearing long black robes made of sating with silver trimming.

Lucius smiled back at her, his expression one of inevitable love and solicitude for his fiancé. As the vicar began to speak, the both turned to face each the wizened little man; they remained this way until they came to say their vows;

"Do you, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, take one, Hermione Jean Granger, to be your lawful wedded wife?"

"I, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, do take you, Hermione Jean Granger, to be my lawful wedded wife to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, to love and to cherish until death do us part."

The vicar turned his gaze to Hermione, whose tear filled eyes remained on Lucius. "And do you, Hermione Jean Granger, take one, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, to be your lawful wedded husband?"

"I, Hermione Jean Granger, do take you, Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, to be my lawful wedded husband to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, to love and to cherish until death do us - "

"HERMIONE, NO!"

Time itself seemed to have frozen as Lucius, Hermione and the vicar turned toward the voice. Hermione gasped loudly and Lucius' face looked stony as he pulled Hermione back sharply and yanked out his wand at the same time as... Ron!

"Avada -"

"STUPEFY!" Yelled Ron, knocking Lucius to the ground. "STOP! STOP IT!" Hermione screamed, half sobbing, her veil thrown to the ground and a wild look in her eyes. "Hermione, I can't let you do this!" Ron shouted, running up to her and taking a tight hold on one of her hands. They stood there for a moment, both of them with tears dripping down their cheeks. Without another word said between them, they both turned and ran, their hands still clasped together firmly.


	6. 9 Crimes

_**Disclaimer; Same as before really... don't own a thing, unfortunately. READ & REVIEW GUYS! You'll have my eternal love.**___

Hermione was standing in the middle of a huge clearing; looking around her, she noticed she had her wand out – she had an unexplainable feeling that something bad was about to happen. No sooner had she thought this when she heard rustling in the trees behind her. She whipped around, her wand at the ready and out of the shadows stepped Lucius. Hermione gasped when she saw him; he was staggering wildy, his hair was a tangled mess, blood dripping down his chin and neck and he had an overall dishevelled look about him. "Hermione..." He whispered as he dropped weakly to his knees.

Just as Hermione was about to kneel beside him, she heard yet more rustling and out of the shadows stepped Ron; he looked positively flawless in the sunlight as opposed to Lucius. He took a step towards her and held out his hand, smiling. "Hermione, come with me." Hermione stood flabbergasted for a moment before looking from Ron; perfect and flawless, to Lucius; desperate and wrecked and felt as if her heart might shatter. She loved Ron so much, but when she looked at Lucius, she simply couldn't imagine her life without him. She gazed at him, her eyes filling with tears and he gazed back at her, yearning for her. He collapsed to the floor, blood spurting from his mouth as he coughed and he whispered her name again. "Hermione..." His voice weakened. "Lucius, no!" She screamed as she saw the light of life leaving his eyes.

Hermione woke up to a tangle of bed sheets around her; she looked to her right and saw Ron asleep next to her and she sighed. Untangling herself from the sheets, she wrapped herself up and laid back down, facing away from Ron, unable to get the image of Lucius from her mind; how glad she was to be going back to Hogwarts tomorrow...

Hermione forced a smile onto her face as Ron came over to her and put his arm around her. "All sorted?" He asked her. She nodded as she heaved her trunk into the Ministry car. He kissed her on the cheek and she closed her eyes, her phoney smile still plastered on and fighting the painful lump in the back of her throat. She coughed, trying to relieve herself of the throbbing ache. "Come on then, in the car." She climbed in herself, allowing Ron to take hold of her hand once he was in to. She turned to him, smiled then gazed out of the window; her smile immediately falling.

Hermione awoke from a rough nights sleep; she hadn't had anymore than four hours and felt ridiculously tired and irritable. She pulled on her robes and left the Common Room alone; picking up her time table she found that she had double Defence Against the Dark Arts; she was thankful for this, at least her mind would be temporarily taken off of the thoughts of Lucius that plagued her mind. She reached the classroom and went straight to her usual back corner seat. She heard other class member gasp in shock, but ignored it as she pulled out her books and quill. Looking up, nothing could have prepared her for who she saw as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher; Lucius. She sat there in her seat, her hands shaking; she couldn't believe that this was happening – she couldn't comprehend it, and didn't have a clue how she would cope with this; cope with seeing Lucius' face everyday, knowing what she did to him, the heart break she had caused him.

The lesson was terribly strained; Hermione avoided drawing attention to herself, and avoided eye contact altogether with Lucius, though she had moment where she thought she could feel his eyes on her. Nevertheless, Lucius avoided picking her out for anything, or calling on her to answer anything. As Hermione sat there, looking down at her hands, she wondered if this was the best idea; she wondered if she ought to just make like everything was normal, and just try to blend in with the other class members. She raised her hand at Lucius' next question. "Please sir... the true form of a Boggart is never revealed. This is due to the fact that as soon as one lays eyes on them, they take the form of what that person fears the most." Lucius froze for a second before forcing a smile. "Correct... Miss _Granger._ However, you did fail to give an example with your answer as well forgetting to explain _why _they take on the form of what a person fears. Can anyone else give me this answer?"

"Pardon me, _Professor Malfoy_, but I believe my answer was explained quite adequately, given the... circumstances." Hermione slammed down her quill angrily and folded her arms over her chest. "Miss Granger, if you feel that you need to release any pent up anger you may hold, then I would prefer it if you left my classroom." Lucius said slowly, almost patronisingly. Hermione quickly shoved her books back into her bag and slipped it over her shoulder. "What wonderful advice Professor, but perhaps I may offer you some. If you feel a need to patronise me again, then I would prefer it if it were in private." She left the classroom, but not before Lucius caught sight of the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

Sitting on a window ledge within the sixth floor corridor, Hermione waved her wand absentmindedly in front of her, a number of small white doves flying in a circle around her head. She heard footsteps getting louder and nearer and looked to her right to see Lucius coming towards her. Frowning she stopped waving her wand and placed it in her pocket, the doves fading away into nothingness. Her expression remained neutral as Lucius sat beside her. "Hermione, I'm sorry for speaking to you in that manner. It was uncalled for." She sighed and looked him in the eyes. "No, it was perfectly called for. I can hardly blame you, what I did to you was absolutely unforgiveable and I can't tell you for the life of me how much I regret it and how sorry I am. That day, I made the worst, most stupid mistake of my entire life. I love you, _only_ you. Always have done, and always will." Lucius gently turned her face towards him and leaned towards her.

From the moment their lips met, Hermione could not describe the feelings that stirred within her. It was a kiss like no other that had passed between them, and a thousand times more euphoric and passion filled than anything with Ron; Hermione knew this is where she belonged, with Lucius. She heard vague footsteps from far behind her, but she paid barely any attention to them and before she knew it, she heard them fade away, quicker than before. Pulling away unwillingly, Hermione softly traced his jaw line with her fingers. "Can you ever forgive me?" She asked him, her tone coloured with desperation. "Of course I can," he whispered in reply. "I have to get back. I want to see you again... meet me tonight, on the seventh floor." He quickly kissed her once more before leaving.

Hermione sighed to herself; although she felt a little hopeful that she and Lucius could get back to normal, she was still torn up. She didn't have the faintest idea how she was going to deal with Ron. As she continued to mull over her thoughts, she had entered the Gryffindor common room without even really registering it. In there she found Ron; she noticed he looked really angry and wasn't sure why. "R-Ron? What are you doing down here?" She asked him, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible. He looked over at her, "Sorry," he replied in a slightly vicious tone. "I didn't realise I need _your _permission to sit in the common room; how stupid of me?" Hermione frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about Ron?" Her hands began to shake unexplainably. "If you don't know, then I'm not going to tell you. Like it'd matter to you either way!" He spat, looking positively furious. "I'm not listening to anymore of this," replied Hermione, and without another word, she turned and left the common room, her intention being to meet Lucius.

Hermione shivered as she made her way along the corridors and staircases, pulling her cloak tightly around her. She could shake off the feeling that someone was following her. She pulled out her wand and whipped around to look behind her; nothing. Shaking her head and mentally scolding herself for being so paranoid, she hurried as she finally found herself on the seventh floor corridor. She turned a corner to find Lucius there, waiting for her. Her heart skipped a beat and she hurried towards him, wrapping her arms tightly around him. As she pulled back, he took her face in his hands and kissed her softly on her lips. "Let's go back to my rooms; I just need to spend time with you. I've missed you so." As they clasped their hands together tightly, they set to Lucius' rooms, both smiling, happy they were together at last.

Hermione laid back on Lucius' bed, feeling at ease now she was where she belonged. Lucius closed the door behind him and locked it. He joined her on the bed, running his fingers softly down the side of her face, gazing at her like she was the most beautiful thing ever to grace the earth. Hermione slid her hand round to the back of his neck and leant towards him. As their lips met, Lucius gazed over her shoulder and froze momentarily when he saw a familiar face looking through the window; the youngest Weasley boy. As he pulled away from Hermione's lips to kiss her neck, his eyes still on Ron, he smirked a little before turning his gaze back to Hermione...


End file.
